Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 18:03:16 +0200
From: Tino Schwarze <postgresql@tisc.de>
To: pgsql-admin@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Postgres security issue - protecting datafiles
Message-ID: <20080604160316.GH23526@easy2.in-chemnitz.de>
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On Mon, Jun 02, 2008 at 03:16:54PM -0700, zferentz@gmail.com wrote:

> I'd like to use postgres to store my secret data  in a way that only
> me (the DBA, owner of the table) can access the talbe while the root
> (system administrator) who installed and maintains the server - will
> not be able to see the data.
> 
> Now, I think that "db authentication"  is simply not enough , because
> the administrator can copy the data files to his own machine (where he
> is the owner of the database).
> 
> Is there a way to protect the data files, so even the "malicious
> administrator" cannot see the data ?

I suppose, you need to look into SELinux. That might give you the
infrastructure for such purposes, together with an encrypted file
system for DB space. 

That's not something you can do via an application. As you already
noticed, anybody with access to the physical table data will be able to
copy it. Of course, you could encrypt the data stored in the table, but
then: where's the key for decryption?

Tino.

-- 
"What we resist, persists." (Zen saying)

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